--- title: Harry Potter Fans Can Now Discover Their Own Patronus description: Pottermore launched an official Patronus Quiz developed by J.K. Rowling herself to help fans determine the shape their Patronuses take. canonical: https://time.com/4504169/patronus-pottermore/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-22T14:40:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:36:52.187Z og:title: Harry Potter Fans Can Now Discover Their Very Own Patronuses og:description: Pottermore released an official quiz for fans on Thursday, developed by Rowling. og:url: https://time.com/4504169/patronus-pottermore/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdf4a17f55373d83b/69887c4a0b72e39c436e7ff7/harry-potter-and-the-prisoner-of-azkaban_145089c2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1294 og:image:height: 728 og:image:alt: harry-potter-and-the-prisoner-of-azkaban_145089c2 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Harry Potter Fans Can Now Discover Their Very Own Patronuses twitter:description: Pottermore released an official quiz for fans on Thursday, developed by Rowling. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdf4a17f55373d83b/69887c4a0b72e39c436e7ff7/harry-potter-and-the-prisoner-of-azkaban_145089c2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Harry Potter Fans Can Now Discover Their Patronus in a Quiz Developed by J.K. Rowling Herself > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Sep 22, 2016 2:40 PM UTC   by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Sep 22, 2016 2:40 PM UTC A Patronus is much more than a spirit animal. It’s the concentrated form that your happiest memories coalesce into, creating a protective spirit that will shield you from dark forces — soul-sucking Dementors, for instance. And now, J.K. Rowling has created a virtual test that gives _Harry Potter_ fans (yes, even us Muggles) the definitive answer to the question: [what form does my Patronus take?](http://time.com/4209231/harry-potter-spell/?iid=sr-link3) To see for yourself, you’ll need [to join Pottermore](https://www.pottermore.com/), the digital destination for all things Harry Potter. You can only take the Patronus test — or “experience,” as it’s called — one time, so make sure you’re mentally prepared. The appropriately magical digital experience, which includes custom animation and music, involves a series of rapid-fire questions that you are meant to answer instinctively until you come to your creature match. You’ll want to come ready with a single, powerful happy memory to draw on, too; that’s the key to casting the [advanced-level charm.](http://time.com/4014510/harry-potter-jk-rowling-hagrid/?iid=sr-link1) The launch of the quiz comes [on the heels of a frenzy of speculation](http://time.com/4503336/pottermore-tweet-fan-reactions/?iid=sr-link2) after Pottermore began teasing some kind of dark, mystical environment via Twitter and Instagram on Wednesday. Many fans correctly predicted, however, that the Patronus experience would soon drop. As for the breadth of your animal options? That remains a mystery, but it seems to be massive. Fans [tweeting about their results](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/778943747832807425) have gotten anything from a goshawk to a unicorn. “Patronuses are drawn from animals both familiar and magical, although magical beasts are amongst the rarest Patronuses,” Pottermore shared in a statement on the launch. It’s well-documented that Harry Potter’s own Patronus is a stag, Hermione’s is an otter, and Professor Snape’s takes the form of a doe, while J.K. Rowling shared this series of tweets about her own Patronus experience: > [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/778942133231312896) > [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/778942344523550720) > [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/778942632017952768) > [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/778943747832807425) (It’s a heron.) In any case, fans are ecstatic about the added element of magic now at play in the Muggle world. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4504169/patronus-pottermore/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4504169/patronus-pottermore/"},"headline":"Harry Potter Fans Can Now Discover Their Patronus in a Quiz Developed by J.K. 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